In Pennsylvania Man indicted on porn charges is found...

Regional Digest

October 16, 2001|By From staff reports

In Pennsylvania

Man indicted on porn charges is found dead

YORK, Pa. - A 20-year-old Harford County man scheduled for trial in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on Internet pornography charges was found dead yesterday near York, Pa., after apparently committing suicide.

George Morgan Haak of the 5200 block of Deer Trail was found by hunters in a wooded area, apparently poisoned by carbon monoxide fumes behind the wheel of his car, according to federal prosecutors and David P. Henninger, Haak's lawyer. Haak left notes to his parents and police, who are investigating the incident, Henninger said.

Haak was indicted in March on 10 counts of trafficking in child pornography for allegedly operating a computer server that allowed people from across the globe to swap images. His jury trial was scheduled to begin yesterday. If convicted, Haak would have faced more than 10 years in prison.

In Maryland

Court of Appeals suspends Montgomery Co. lawyer

ANNAPOLIS - The Court of Appeals suspended the law license of a Montgomery County lawyer yesterday, saying that Joel Chasnoff mishandled cases and charged clients excessively.

The indefinite suspension resulted from a probe into three clients' complaints. Chasnoff, who argued that he was under stress because his office manager and friend was suffering from cancer, sought a suspension of no more than 60 days stayed subject to psychiatric care and monitoring.

Pamela Bresnahan, his lawyer, said she had not studied the unanimous decision and would not comment on it.